After a mile of hiking most palm trees and tourists were left behind, and we found ourselves hiking up a lonely desert valley bordered by the towering, snowy Desert Divide. The good trail led us in 2 miles to a junction at a dry wash. We took the right fork which dipped through the dry bed of Palm Canyon's creek, then climbed a rocky slope to a saddle. Beyond the saddle we came upon an intriguing meadowy flat surrounded by rocky outcroppings. This I guess was the Indian Potrero. There should be some great wildflowers here if there is a wet spring.
The trail led us along the level meadows of the potrero and across Palm Canyon Creek, here a lovely spot with water-slickened rocks and yellow-leaved cottonwood trees, to a junction with the Palm Canyon Trail. This trail, a fun combination of an old jeep road and dry washes, took us back to first junction, palm trees and tourists. All in all, a great warmup hike in the beautiful desert mountains around Palm Springs.
